Sgt. Wayne Jans Veteran of AAF Has Discharge
Staff Sergeant Wayne Jans, husband of Phyllis Jans, Rt. 1, Manning, Iowa, was honorably discharged from the separation base maintained here by the Army Air Forces.
S/Sgt. Jans is a Veteran of 28 months of service in the Army Air Forces. He served in India and Burma as a B-25 gunner.
The AAF has awarded him the Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster.
Before entering the service he was a sales clerk of the Matt Hardware Company in Carroll.

Carroll Daily Times Herald Carroll, June 5, 1945
Wayne Jans Advanced To Staff Sergeant in India-Burma Theater
Headquarters Tenth Air Force India-Burma
Promotion to staff sergeant of Wayne W. Jans, 29, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Jans, of Arcadia, Iowa, has been announced by Major General Howard C. Davidson commanding general of the Tenth Air Force.
S/Sgt. Jans, a tail gunner on a B-25, is a member of the 12th Bombardment Group, "Earthquakers," 10th Air Force. With the group seven months, he has 54 missions over Japanese-held territory in Burma.
A graduate of Arcadia high school, Sgt. Jans was employed as clerk for the Matt Hardware company in Carroll prior to entering the Army Air Forces two years ago.

Services United Church Westside, Iowa 10:30 A.M. - Monday, September 25, 2006
Officiant Pastor Virginia Stiles
Organist Janine Kock
Vocalists Glenn Freese - Dave Freese
Vocalists Selections In the Garden Ivory Palaces
Pallbearers: Donovan Jans, Alysia Listerud, Kari Sanders, Kirk Saylor, Nathan Jans, Serena Jans, Eric Jans
Military Honors
Vail American Legion Post 65
Westside American Legion Post 196
Interment Westside Cemetery Westside, Iowa
The family invites everyone to return to the church to join them in fellowship and lunch served by the United Church Women Walter A. Huebner and Family Funeral Service.

Wayne Willard Jans was born July 24, 1916, the son of Frank and Mary (Peters) Jans. He died Thursday, September 21, 2006, at the Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison, Iowa, at the age of ninety.

Wayne was born on the family farm north of Arcadia and was baptized on March 18, 1917, at the Arcadia Presbyterian Church. He received his education at the Arcadia Community School, graduating from the Arcadia High School with the class of 1934. He worked for W.O. Stoelk Electric and on April 27, 1940, Wayne was united in marriage to Phyllis Schroeder of Manning at the Lutheran Parsonage in Denison.

In 1941, Wayne went to work at Matt Hardware in Carroll until he was drafted into the United States Air Force in June 1943. He was the first married man to be drafted from Carroll County. He served with the 12th Bomb Group, 82nd Squadron. He was a tail gunner, flying 53 bombing missions over China, India and Burma for ten months. He received several medals for his tour of duty. He was honorably discharged on October 27, 1945.

On April 1, 1946, Wayne and Phyllis purchased the K & H Market in Westside and called it Jans Market. In 1957, they purchased another store and moved their business to that location which they occupied until retirement on July 1, 1979.

Wayne was a member of the United Presbyterian Church, now United Church; serving as Elder, Trustee and Clerk of Session, and Choir member which he sang in the church quartet at various functions. He was also a member of the American Legion having served as Commander and Adjutant. Civic duties included being City Mayor, Councilman and City Clerk. Wayne was also a member of Westside School Board when the reorganization of Ar-We-Va Schools took place. In 1957, he was one of the original people to organize the Westside Community Club and served as its first president. After retirement he kept active in city affairs, keeping the cemetery records and in 1987 helped with getting The Diner up and running. The City of Westside meant a lot to him and he wanted to see the town and its businesses survive and prosper.

Wayne is preceded in death by his parents, sister and brother-in-law, Irene and Leo Diers and brother and sister-in-law, Melvin and Marion Jans and an infant niece and nephew. Survivors include his wife, Phyllis of sixty-six years of Westside; four children, Wanda Don and her husband, Dave of Belmond; Arlan Jans and his wife, Deb of Denison; Curtis Jans and his wife, Linda of Willmar, Minnesota; and Marla Jans and special friend, Leonard Hassett of Denison. Also seven grandchildren; Kirk Saylor of Clarion, Iowa; Kari Sanders and her husband, Shannon of Sneads Ferry, North Carolina; Eric Jans and his wife, Kristin of Chicago, Illinois; Donovan Jans and his fiancé, Kristin of Raytown, Missouri; Alysia Listerud and her husband, Brad of Spicer, Minnesota; Serena Jans of Mankato, Minnesota; and Nathan Jans of Fargo, North Dakota; one step-grandson, Mark Don and his wife, Tonia of Leon, Iowa; five great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Ruth Schroeder of Denison and Gertrude Christensen of Keene, California; also many nieces, nephews, and friends.